Bitten, Beaten, & Loved

by Catherine Banks

  I stopped washing dishes and turned to him. “I need to leave. I can’t go see your alpha because he’ll send me back. You have to understand that I can’t go back.”

  He shook his head. “He wouldn’t send you back.”

  “Yes, he will. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here. I heard him tell you that I have to come to him before the next moon. I have to leave.”

  He stopped pacing and pulled me against him, kissing me fiercely. I wanted to pull away to say no, but my hands found their way up to his neck and I was kissing him back. He kissed his way down my jaw and to my neck and licked across my pulse. I shivered against him, surprised that my wolf senses weren’t trying to warn me that he could hurt me. He ran his hand up my back and whispered, “Don’t leave me.”

  I sniffed as I fought not to cry at the pain he was experiencing. “I can’t stay here. They’ll find me. It’s nothing to do with you. You’ve been great to me. Better than anyone’s treated me before.”

  He rubbed his face against mine and whined softly. “Stay with me. I’ll protect you. I won’t let them send you back.”

  I shook my head and dropped my hands, which had somehow made their way to his chest. “If your alpha tells you to send me away you’ll have to do it.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll run with you. Let me come with you and we’ll run away together.”

  I stepped back and frowned. “You can’t leave your pack.”

  He inhaled and I could see how confused he was. “Just talk to my alpha. If he says he wants to send you back then I’ll help you escape. I may not be able to do it personally, but I have human contacts that can help you. Please at least talk to my alpha. Please. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Would talking to his alpha hurt? Surely, he wouldn’t send me back to Jeff and the other bastards in John’s pack.

  I didn’t want to leave Sean. The thought of leaving him made my heart hurt. It was too soon for me to feel this way and yet I was. I looked up into Sean’s pleading eyes and whispered, “I’ll go meet with him, but if he tries to send me back you have to promise to help me run.”

  Sean picked me up and spun me around. “You won’t regret this. I promise I’ll help if he tries to send you back.”

  I kissed his cheek and he set me down. “Did you put some type of spell on me?” I asked quietly.

  He frowned down at me. “What? No? Why do you think I put a spell on you?”

  I blushed. “I’ve just never felt so strongly for someone I barely know.”

  He smiled. “Your wolf approves of mine and mine of yours. That’s all they need to know. Come on, let’s go.”

  I nodded my head and let him lead me out of the house. I locked up the door and then we started walking down the street. He picked my hand up holding it as we walked. I looked up at his face and saw how happy this decision had made him. I just hoped his alpha didn’t try to send me away. He opened the door to an expensive Lexus a few blocks from my house and smiled at me. “The pack lives a few miles outside of the city. Promise I won’t kill you with my driving.”

  I climbed into the car and ran my hand along the dashboard. “Is this yours?” I asked as he climbed in the driver’s seat. He had driven different cars every time we’d gone out.

  He nodded his head. “This is one of my cars. I have three.” I stared at him and he laughed. “I told you that the pack helps each other out.” He held my hand again as we drove and I relaxed against the seat. He turned on the radio and we listened to hard rock music. I closed my eyes and was almost asleep when Sean cleared his throat. “We’re here.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at the mansion we were stopped in front of. “This is the pack’s house?” He nodded his head. I whistled. “You guys must blackmail a lot of people.”

  He shook his head. “We don’t blackmail anyone.” I didn’t want to argue even though I had smelled his lie, so I smiled and climbed out of the car. Two males in pants and no shirts stood at the front door staring down at us. Sean laced his fingers through mine and whispered, “Don’t be scared. They won’t hurt you.”

  I stepped a little closer to him as we walked up the stairs. Sean placed his fist over his heart and bowed to the males. “Greetings Brothers.”

  The two males mimicked him and bowed. “Greetings,” they said in unison. We walked passed them and into the mansion.

  I looked up at the huge crystal chandelier and smiled. “It’s beautiful.” The room was decorated in warm tones with hundreds of pictures of wolves and people hanging on the walls.

  A male voice spoke from the stairway. “It better be beautiful. I paid an arm and a leg for it.”

  I looked up and saw the alpha from the forest wearing slacks and a button up shirt. He was handsome and his power radiated off of him in waves. He was the most powerful wolf I’d met. He had to be a born wolf. I dropped my head and fought to keep my legs under me. Sean cleared his throat. “Thomas, meet Rose. Rose, this is Thomas, our alpha.”

  Thomas made his way down the stairs and inhaled. His magic disappeared in an instant and before me stood a simple man. He was very powerful. He held out his hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Rose. Sean’s been telling me a lot about you.”

  I didn’t want to be rude, but I wasn’t sure about him yet. I kept my hand in Sean’s and stepped a millimeter away to shake Thomas’ hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Thomas released my hand and I stepped back next to Sean. I hated being so frightened, but I hated being so dependant on Sean more.

  Thomas smiled at me and waved towards a room to the right. “Let’s go to my study. The others are waiting.”

  I tensed and Sean rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “The others want to hear your story about how the males were in your pack.”

  I swallowed and Thomas smiled at me. “I promise that none will harm you here.”

  I didn’t want to do it, to be surrounded by dominants, but his promise was sincere. I just hoped that they all kept their word. I let Sean lead me into the large room that was more suitable as a living room than a study and stared at the five other males in the room. They were old. I could feel it as soon as I entered the room. Power vibrated around them all and I knew they were holding in their true amount of power as Thomas was. It frightened me beyond words. They were all seated on expensive looking couches that formed a circle around the edge of the room looking calm and relaxed. Sean led me to an open loveseat and sat down beside me on it to face the others. The men all smiled sweetly at me, but I couldn’t find a smile to give them in return.

  Thomas sat down in a chair to my right and smiled. “Rose, calm down.” His magic wrapped around me, even stronger than Sean’s, and I was instantly relaxed. I relaxed back into my seat and Sean relaxed next to me. Thomas nodded his head in approval. “Alright. Now, what pack are you from?”

  “Miami South,” I answered quickly.

  Thomas frowned. “I wasn’t aware that there was a pack in Miami South. How long has the pack been there?”

  I shrugged. “They didn’t feel old like you do, no offense, but I was in their pack for three years.”

  Thomas asked, “How did you become a wolf?”

  “I was bitten.”

  The others seemed to grow still as they listened to me. Thomas asked softly, “And why did you leave your pack?”

  I fought the fear that boiled up and tried to constrict my throat. Sean stroked my arm softly and I exhaled, spitting the words out quickly, “They beat and raped me and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

  The anger level skyrocketed, making me whimper. Thomas exhaled and the anger dissipated. Thomas asked, “What did the alpha do to calm those that beat you?”

  I shook my head. “He didn’t calm them, ever. He didn’t stop them from beating or raping me either. He watched.” I whispered the last part and blinked back the tears.

  Sean whined and I rubbed my face against his shoulder to wipe the tears that had fallen. One of the males sitting on the largest couch asked, “Why did they
beat you?”

  “They said I didn’t smell right anymore and that I did too many things wrong. They told me that women are only for their amusement and I wasn’t amusing them appropriately.”

  Thomas asked, “Where did you change?”

  I looked up at him as I answered. “A cage with silver bars.”

  Thomas’s eyes widened. “Every time?”

  I nodded my head. “Every time. They said I wasn’t controlled enough to change near them.”

  Thomas asked, “How long ago did you leave them?”

  “Four years. I broke the pack ties three and a half years ago.”

  The males seemed shocked by my answer and the male who had spoken earlier asked, “How did you break them?”

  I looked at Sean and he nodded his head to go ahead an answer. He was probably curious himself since I hadn’t told him this part. “I found a newly made vampire and let him bind me to him and then killed him.”

  Thomas smiled, apparently entertained by my answer. “How did you know you could do that?”

  “I’d heard the males talking about a rumor that it could be done. It was my last resort since I couldn’t kill myself.”

  Thomas frowned. “You tried to kill yourself?”

  I let a few tears drop before looking up at him. “I couldn’t go back and let them keep hurting me. They almost killed me a few times. After I left, the alpha started calling me back and I tried to resist…the wounds healed too fast for me to bleed out though. Even silver wouldn’t keep the wounds open long enough.”

  Thomas asked, “What were the males like?”

  I sniffed and wiped my nose, feeling like a weak pup. “They were always angry. Anything set them off. And the alpha…I didn’t even know that dominants could soothe like you do until Sean did it on me. That alpha never did that. He would provoke them more times than not. He liked watching them fight each other or hurt me.”

  Thomas asked, “Have you been solo since you left them and broke your ties?” I nodded my head. He sighed. “Alright. That’s all we needed to ask you. Thank you for answering our questions.”

  Sean licked the tears off my face and I giggled as his tongue tickled me. Sean asked, “Can she stay here tonight?”

  Thomas looked at the others and then smiled. “Of course.”

  Sean smiled and dragged me from the chair by my hand. “Thank you,” I said. I only had time to wave to the others before he pulled me out of the room and up the stairs. I started tripping because he was pulling me too fast and he picked me up, flying up the last few stairs. He pushed open his bedroom door and set me down on my feet. “Welcome to my room.”

  The floor was perfectly clean and the carpet shined as though he never stepped on it. There wasn’t a blank spot on the wall, hand drawn pictures covered every square inch. I looked at the closest drawing and gasped. “Is that me?”

  Sean nodded his head. “I drew it that first night I saw you.”

  I touched the picture and smiled. “You’re amazing.”

  He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. “No, you’re amazing.” I kissed his lips and he sighed happily. “See, I told you everything would be okay.” I laid my head down on his shoulder and he walked us over to the bed. It shocked me that I was so complacent with him now, but I felt different. Was it because he broke the mate bond? Whatever it was, I just hoped he wouldn’t change.

  I closed my eyes as he climbed on with me and he poked my stomach. I giggled and he laughed. “You’re ticklish?”

  I opened my eyes and shook my head. “No.” He heard the lie and started tickling me. I laughed and squirmed, trying to get away from his hands when someone opened the door. Sean spun around and growled. Fear consumed me and I cowered behind him.

  I peeked around to see a man in his early twenties leaning against the door frame. “Whatcha got there, Sean?”

  Sean growled again. “Leave, Patrick.”

  Patrick smiled and then waved at me. “Hi there.”

  I smiled. “Hello.”

  Patrick inhaled and his eyes widened. “You found a female wolf? Oh, come on let me see her.”

  Sean growled again and I felt his wolf stir. “Leave my room.”

  Patrick squatted down in an attack stance and would have attacked if Thomas hadn’t grabbed his shoulder. “I believe Sean asked you to leave his room.”

  Patrick stood upright and backed away. “Sorry. Sorry. Leaving now.”

  Sean waited until Patrick was walking down the stairs before sitting back on the bed and pulling my arms around his shoulders. I kissed his ear, hoping he would calm down if I touched him. His shoulders slowly relaxed and Thomas smiled. “Maybe you should keep your door closed and keep her up here tonight.”

  Sean nodded his head. “Alright.”

  Thomas looked at me and frowned. “I called Fenrir.” He noticed my confused look and asked, “You do know who Fenrir is, right?” I shook my head. “Fenrir is the head of all werewolves. The alpha of alphas or king of kings if you will. I asked him about your pack and he said he had no knowledge of a pack living in Miami South. He’s going to investigate the matter and get back to me, but I advised him of their hostile nature. He’s sending his best dominants to talk to them. Until I hear back from them I would like it if you stayed here.”

  I frowned. “I need to go to work…”

  Thomas shook his head. “Fenrir gave me specific orders to keep you here. I’ll call Mr. Smith and speak to him. I’m sure he will manage without you for a few days.”

  Sean asked, “Will Fenrir send her back?”

  Thomas sighed. “I don’t know what Fenrir will do, but I don’t think he’ll send her back to a pack that’s been abusing her. He will not allow her to be solo though.”

  I nuzzled Sean’s neck and he asked, “Can she join our pack?”

  Thomas frowned. “I’ll have to think about it. Have you discussed mating?”

  I froze and Sean patted my hand. “No, we haven’t discussed it.”

  I moved away from Sean and sat against the wall. Mating? Joining a pack? Could I do that? Would it work? What if Sean turned out to be just like Jeff? I shook my head. No, Sean isn’t angry like Jeff. But… But he had gotten angry when Patrick came by.

  Thomas sighed. “Rose, calm down.” I let his magic calm me and rolled on to my side on the bed. Thomas sighed again. “Lock the door.” I heard the door shut and then Sean got off the bed.

  He climbed back on the bed slowly and settled behind me draping one arm across my waist. “Rose?”

  “Hmm?”

  He rolled me over and smiled. “You don’t have to think about the mating thing, okay? Let’s just enjoy being together.”

  I rolled over again so that I was lying on my left side facing him. He laid down on his back and I rested my head on his chest. “You’re worried too, I can smell it.”

  Sean nodded his head. “I don’t want them to try to take you away from me.”

  I draped my hand across his upper chest. “I don’t think I could handle leaving you.”

  He kissed my head. “Let’s not think about it.” He hummed softly and I quickly fell asleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sean kissing me on the cheek woke me up from my pleasant dream about chasing a rabbit. I looked up into his eyes and he smiled. “Morning.”

  I stretched and he bent down to kiss my exposed stomach, making me gasp and making my pulse race.

  He frowned. “Rose, I promised I wouldn’t ever hurt you.”

  I nodded my head. “I know, but I’ve heard a lot of false promises. I’m sorry. I’m trying.”

  He smiled. “That’s all I can ask for. Come on, let’s eat.”

  “I thought I wasn’t allowed out?” I asked in shock.

  He laughed. “No, he meant to keep you here when he’s not nearby. Everyone eats together in the mornings. Come on or we’ll be late and there won’t be any food left.” I stood up and he led me to a bathroom. “Go on, but hurry. My toothbrush is the green one.
”

  I walked inside the bathroom and stared at the golden veined marble. I climbed into the shower and stared at the showerhead which looked like it was made out of gold. I flicked my tongue out and my eyes widened at the taste of gold. This pack had some serious money. I would never have even dreamed of a golden showerhead.

  I shook my head and quickly used the restroom and Sean’s toothbrush. Luckily, I’m not one to get freaked out about using someone else’s toothbrush. We already swapped spit once and he rinses the toothbrush out for heaven sakes. After I finished, Sean brushed his teeth then held my hand as we walked down the stairs. He turned left down the hallway and then right into the biggest dining room I’d ever seen. More chandeliers and white marble with black veins made the room look like it should be in a movie about a princess, not a mansion full of werewolves.

  Thirty males and five females sat around a table large enough to fit fifty. Sean took me to a seat beside Thomas who smiled at me as we came in. I tried to smile back at him, but I think it ended up being more of a grimace. Every eye was on me as I took my seat between Thomas and Sean making my skin twitch nervously. Ten of the thirty present were under the age of twenty, which surprised me. Three human girls looked at me curiously and I looked back at them with the same curiosity.

  I wanted to ask them questions, but Thomas cleared his throat. “As you can all see, we have a visitor staying with us. This is Rose and I expect you all to treat her with the utmost respect and kindness. Sean is her appointed guardian so unless you want to challenge Sean, I suggest you leave her alone. Now, let’s eat.”

  It was only then that I noticed the piles of food on the table. Sausage, pancakes, eggs, bacon, waffles, cooked ham and what smelled like fresh squeezed orange juice. Thomas must have seen my eyes widen because he frowned at me. “I take it you never ate like this with your pack?”

  I shook my head. “I got raw steaks and lumpy, cold oatmeal tossed in my cage twice a day. Sometimes I’d get an apple, but that was only if I…” I looked at the young girls at the table and blushed. “Well you get the picture.”